Anne Messitte, executive vice president, Knopf Doubleday and publisher, Vintage/Anchor, will leave the company in December, with no indication of what is next for her, “forced out amid a company restructuring” as the AP puts it. Knopf says the change is about bringing “alignment between our group hardcover and paperback publishing programs, as well as more group efficiencies,” after Vintage/Anchor had “essentially been operating as an autonomous arm of our publishing group.” Messitte has led Vintage/Anchor for 20 years, and launched Vintage Español in 1994, among other ventures — notably including her acquisition of the Fifty Shades trilogy. Chairman and […]
Personnel
People, Etc.: Folio Acquires Emma Sweeney Agency, and More
Folio Literary Management has acquired and will continue the business of Emma Sweeney Agency, effective January 2, 2019. Sweeney says in the announcement, “I’ve enjoyed a very rewarding 37 years in book publishing and am grateful for the life it’s given me, as well as the wonderful friendships. The decision to move on has been made easier knowing my clients will have the full support of Folio, an agency I have long admired, and where I’m sure ESA clients will feel at home.” Margaret Sutherland Brown will continue on with Folio working with Sweeney’s clients. Sweeney was an agent at Harold […]
People, Etc.
Rachel Kim has been promoted to agent at 3 Arts Entertainment. Navah Wolfe will acquire and edit a number of novellas for Subterranean Press. She was at Saga Press. Alexandra Machinist has been promoted to head of the Media Rights department at ICM, continuing to represent authors as well. Publishing co-heads Jennifer Joel and Esther Newberg said in a statement, “In addition to being a phenomenal literary agent, Alexandra is known to have surpassingly sharp instincts for identifying the kinds of high concept commercial material that not only tops bestseller lists, but also translates to the box office.” Jodi Price […]
People, Etc.
Longtime publisher of Algonquin Books Elisabeth Scharlatt will retire as of December 1 after 30 years at the company. Carolan Workman says in the announcement, “Elisabeth has been the eloquent voice, the animated spirit, and the powerful driving force of Algonquin for decades. She put us on the literary map, and she is admired and respected and loved throughout the industry.” Editorial director Betsy Gleick will succeed Scharlatt as publisher. Michael McKenzie is being promoted to associate publisher and Algonquin Young Readers publisher Elise Howard will report directly to Workman ceo Dan Reynolds. Rachel Bressler has joined Harlequin Trade Publishing in […]
People, Etc.
Erica Wetter has joined Stanford University Press as executive editor for literature, philosophy, and religion. She previously was at Routledge. Batya Rosenblum has been promoted to senior editor at The Experiment. As of October 23 Penguin Random House UK is in a formal “consultation period” over the elimination of “a small number” of positions in rights sales, the Bookseller reports. They say the company is looking at centralizing rights sales for the entire company in a single team under recently-promoted group rights director Chantal Noel. Separately, Rae Shirvington is leaving Ebury at the end of the year. Dallas bookseller Interabang Books […]
People, Etc.
Nicole Counts has been promoted to senior editor at One World, reporting to Christopher Jackson. Kate Hensley has joined Princeton University Press as publicist. She was previously publicist and scholarly books marketing manager at the MIT Press. Iain MacGregor is joining Headline as nonfiction publisher. He was previously publishing director at Simon & Schuster UK. Bookselling Neil Van Uum’s Booksellers on Fountain Square in downtown Cincinnati will close in the “near future,” after seven years in business. “We made a valiant effort, but economics dictate that we can no longer operate the store at a loss,” Van Uum said. “We will be […]